Wednesday Post-Game 12/30

December 31st, 2009

I’ve been writing a lot about the Jeffrey-Letestu-Johnson combination in this space lately, and for good reason, but another line entered the conversation tonight. Caputi-Smith-Conner created three goals in a 6-3 WBS win over Binghamton.

Wyatt Smith was particularly interesting after the game. He said he and Caputi and Conner got together and talked about how frustrated they were that they hadn’t been scoring lately and that a conversation like that is really good for linemates to have to make sure they’re on the same page. To be completely honest, I hadn’t even noticed they’d been slumping because the Letestu line had been so good.

Anyway, the Penguins went up 2-0 before Andy Chiodo made a save. Chris Lee past a Joe Vitale screen and Letestu from Jeffrey on a 2-on-1. When Caputi stuffed a puck past Chiodo on the short side to make it 3-1 at the 14-minute mark, it was time for a goalie change.

I mentioned that John Grahame looked bad the other night. Chiodo didn’t look good tonight. Makes you wonder if maybe the Penguins are on the kind of roll that makes goalies look bad, even if they aren’t playing particularly poorly. I know there have been times over the years where this team has made every goalie that walked into the building look like Patrick Roy, so why couldn’t the opposite also ring true?

Eric Tangradi scored for the second straight night as well. Vitale drove a puck to the crease and Tangradi cleaned up the mess. He leads the team with four game-winning goals. Nobody else has more than two.

For those fans in Pittsburgh worried about his progress, yes, it’s slow, but he’s definitely improving. The fact that he’s on the third line really isn’t all that significant, as far as I’m concerned. He still gets some PP shifts. He’s still getting plenty of ice time. He’s not being sent out to play a defensive role. If anything, playing with feisty guys like Vitale and Wallace might encourage him to ramp up his physical play a bit.

After four games in five days, practice is optional tomorrow, so if there’s no breaking news, the next blog post probably won’t come until Friday night after the game with Hershey. If that’s the case, Happy New Year to everyone.

I thought Andy and most of the important Sens, Hennessey, Keller looked apathetic, as usual St. Pierre, Hamel kept coming. Not to put a damper on the Pens victory but it looked like they only played against half a team tonight. Letestu is really really good. So is Jeffrey. Nice streak. Reality check on Friday. Happy New Year all.

http://twitter.com/nafsnep nafsnep

Don’t forget about Saturday too. Remember what Rochester did to us. I am treating Friday like a playoff game. This is one of those games where you can’t get your hopes too high, because Hershey is THAT good, but it will be a measuring stick for sure. It’s not often when I look forward to playing Hershey because of recent success (or lack thereof) but I can honestly say tomorrow I am looking forward to.

Maddie98

Any news on the Casey Classic – I heard the following teams qualified for the semi’s – Wallenpaupak, Valley West, Scranton & WB Wolfpack – games are on New Years day at the Arena – Times?????

CyGuyJG

Not only did the Pens go up 2-0 before Andy made a save, the went up 2-0 on only 2 shots!

poppy48

From where I was sitting last night, Johnson also had a first period goal: tucked under the upper left corner of the net. It came out immediately, no light came on. The referee talked to the benches and play continued. On the way home, Stuccio said it hit the bar, but from my seat it clearly was under the bar. There was also no “clang”. Did anyone else see it the same way, or do I need to have an eye exam?

Jon

Thank you Yogi Berra for that enlightening statement.

jbombulie

That makes perfect sense from a spectator’s perspective, but I think it would be dangerous for the team to look at this weekend like that. The last time they played Rochester and Hershey in the same weekend, they not only lost both games, they also sandwiched a bad home loss to Syracuse in between. That kickstarted a funk where they went 3-7 in a 10-game span. They don’t need another funk like that.

jbombulie

It looked to me like it hit the post, but maybe you had a better angle.

jreeders518

It definatley looked like it went in but as a fan, I would see it that way. Wyatt Smith had an in and out as well and then it got banged back in. The ref and especially the goal judge were asleep at the helm. I think it is a really good time to gauge them on how they do against those teams. I think it is really sad that Ryan Bayda is still in the list of top goal/point getters for the team, really sad.

http://www.pensfans4ever.com pensfans4ever.com

I think the team has been playing well the past few games and yes I think this weekend will deffinately be a test of just how well they are playing together. Jeffrey-Letestu-Johnson have been great and as JB stated Caputi-Smith-Conner seem to be picking up the pace too. If they can keep the momentum going they should do good this weekend

Tom

All, Where does Bayda fit in when he returns in the neer future? The first three lines seem somewhat set. Also, I only get a little news from the Nailers and have been a fan of CPZ for several years. How is he doing as well as Alex Grant? They both seemed to be quality prospects. At the moment Fedotenko has been unproductive in Pittsburgh which has an open roster spot. Can we expect to see Caputi or Jeffrey called up or is cap space limiting such a call up? By the way, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Blackblood

Zabotel has been somewhat underwhelming in his first pro season, notching seven goals in 32 games and is a team worst -15. Alex Grant started slow and was openly discouraged at being demoted to the E, but has been really good after his call-up to WB/S. Grant has seven goals and 19 pts in 27 games and is a team best +10.

A winner of first-place honors in the blogging category of the 2012 Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors awards, Penguins Insider was created to give local hockey fans an interactive, in-depth way to follow the team they so passionately support. The blog's author, beat writer Jonathan Bombulie, has been covering the team since its inception in 1999. Contact him at jbombulie@aol.com

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